The Hearts of the Loyal Traitors
by AnnaRavenheart
Summary: When Robin returned from the Holy Land, he found out that his villagers are under evil reign and that his sister is missing. Little does he know that his sister, with the help of her wickedness and skill for deception, succeeded to join the enemy side. What will happen when he finds out that she is the traitor? And more important what or who is the real motive of her betrayal?
1. Introduction

**_Hearts of the Loyal Traitors_**

_There is a big difference between bravery and loyalty._

_Being brave means being able to do even the craziest things, to sacrifice everything, to fight against the odds, to put your life at stake just to save countless lives._

_Being loyal means being able to fight with whomever, maybe against the whole world, to be ready to kill or to die and to do it wholeheartedly, without slightest doubt, just for the sake of one person._

_That's the difference. And that also makes the difference between you and me, Robin._

_You are brave but I'm loyal._

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**Summary: **When Robin returned from the Holy Land, he found out that his villagers are under evil reign and that his sister is missing. Little does he know that his sister, with the help of her wickedness and skill for deception, succeeded to join the enemy side. What will happen when he finds out that she is the traitor? And more important what or who is the real motive of her betrayal?

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**Rating M**: Because of the later chapters, sex scenes and scenes of violence.

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**Main characters:** Rebecca of Locksley, Guy of Gisborne, Robin Hood and Lady Marian

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**Disclaimer:** I don't own Robin Hood and the majority of characters.

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**_Please review because it helps me to improve my writing! Thanks!_**

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It was approximately midnight and everything was quiet inside the Locksley Manor. The hallway was empty and dark, lit just by a couple of torches. The sound of heavy soldier's boots interrupted the silence as one small, slim person walked towards the soldier's quarter, but it suddenly stopped when it heard a sharp, commanding voice.

"Marcus!"

This person turned around on its heels to face a dark, tall man clad in black leather, leaned on the wall.

"Yes, Sir Guy?" he spoke in a strange voice, too much soft for a man, although he tried to sound rougher.

Guy looked at his face, well, at least he looked at those parts he could see, which really wasn't a lot. Just shrewd cat-like green eyes, a small nose and lips almost completely covered with thick mustache. The rest of the face was hidden behind a big, black, heavy helmet.

"There is a problem in the village, Marcus."

"What they have done this time?" Marcus asked, not a little bit surprised with this information. After all, they made problems on a daily basis.

"Thievery, again," Guy replied in a slightly bored tone. "I expect you to gather all of my men in front of the manor, early in the morning, so we can catch the culprit," he added authoritatively and Marcus bowed slightly. "As you wish."

Guy just smirked before he left. Marcus turned around and mumbled, "I wonder how much time will pass before Guy wipes out the entire village." He hurried towards the soldier's quarters, desperate to remove this disgusting metal can from his head. When he entered into his room and raised the latch on the door, he removed the helmet with one quick move and with another removed the false mustache, revealing not the face of man, but of a woman, no older than twenty years of age. She looked in the small, dusty mirror on the table and smiled to herself, playing with the end of her blond braid.

She sighed. For three long years she had lived under this disguise. But it was worth it because she finally had the life she had wanted since she was a child. The life of a swordsman, full of danger and thrill, not the life of a simple housewife, who is only good for cooking, washing clothes and giving birth every once in a while. No, she had a bigger mind than that. It was hard, but she succeeded thanks to her strong will and wits. She lied that "Marcus'" face was so burnt that he always has to wear that crappy helmet, because he is too much ashamed to show his countenance. And it worked, when she applied for the Sheriff's army, he was disgusted when she told him that and he never asked to see her face.

Guy of Gisborne was different, suspicious at first, almost sure that she was plotting something, but his suspicions dispersed when he noticed her talent. She soon became one of Sheriff's favorite thugs and later a leader of Gisborne's personal army. _'Well, I deserved it,' _she thought. So much effort, many sleepless nights, endless trainings, bruises, sore muscles and scratchy, painful throat caused by attempts to harden her voice, to sound more like a voice of a male. And that was not everything. She needed to become cruel also. Not that she wanted it, but it was necessary if she wanted to keep this life. It meant so much to her. Despite Sheriff's lunacy and Guy's obvious vindictiveness, she grew fond of them, especially of Guy, since she spent a lot of time with him.

At least she wasn't alone and abandoned, like she was when her parents died and her brother left her because of that goddamn King. The fact that honor and patriotism were more important to him than her life still hurt her sometimes; he always unnerved her with his bravery and heroism. But she learned how to deal with it. She buried all the pain deep inside and forgot about it, hiding her emotions from everyone, acting like a cold blooded person made of stone. That was the only way for her to survive.


	2. Something unexpected

_**Something Unexpected**_

"For how long are we going to walk around? You know, I'm tired and hungrier than a wolf."

A slim, light-haired boy turned back and smiled softly when he saw Much's saddened face.

"Come on, Much. We are getting closer. Don't you want to see our village at last?"

Much sighed and grumbled, "Of course I want to, Robin, but can't we rest a bit?"

"When we arrive you can rest as much as you want, Much," he replied decisively.

Much smiled and added dramatically, "You are always the stubborn one. I got it, no arguments with you."

Robin looked at him and Much smiled once more. "Do you think that all those beautiful maidens are waiting for us?"

Robin smiled nostalgically. What happened with the Lady Marian, he wondered? He recalled how he used to do everything he could to impress her. But now she was surely married. He frowned slightly at this unpleasant thought.

"Aren't you a little sad, Robin?" Much asked teasingly.

"No, I'm just thinking," he replied.

"Do you think that your sister is still waiting for you?"

Robin sighed. He had worried about her since he left for Palestine. He left her alone. Well, not completely alone. Their housekeeper, a man of trust, was appointed to take care of her. But, he knew very well that he couldn't replace her brother, or her parents. He remembered that distressing day when he needed to leave her. She was so angry at him. She ran after him, pleading him to stay, to forget about the war, about everything. But he couldn't, and he hoped that she realized that.

"Well, I think that she is still at home," Robin said. He missed her a lot. He wondered how she looks like now. She was fourteen when he left her. She surely grew up into a good-looking young lady.

"Maybe she is married," Much said.

"Married?" Robin laughed. "Her? No way. I thought that you'd remember how she always used to say that she would rather hang herself than marry one of those 'low-witted buffoons', so low was her opinion of men."

"People change, Robin," Much said with a serious expression. "And if she is not married, I will ask her to be my wife, of course, with your blessing," he joked.

Robin looked at him strictly. "Watch your mouth. And don't you dare make advances to her."

"I'm just kidding," Much quickly said. "I don't want her to kill me."

Robin looked at him again. He knew that Much thought her hasty, with an obstinate nature and sometimes tomboyish behavior. She would often start a fight with other girls, and he remembered how he needed to put all arms they had at home out of sight, because she would take them while he wasn't watching.

"Hey look!" Much said pointing with his finger. Robin looked. A small, modest village appeared beneath the hill, old roofs shone in the early, warm morning sunlight.

"We are home, finally," he said while tears of happiness glistened in his blue eyes.

* * *

"Stand up straight! Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of soldiers!"

Frowning, silent soldiers hurried to obey the orders of the 'masked-man' who walked up and down nervously, playing with the short whipcord. They were unsatisfied with the fact that they needed to obey the man whose face they never saw, but they did anyway.

The masked man approached one of the young soldiers who swung slightly.

"What happened to you?" he asked the man, gazing at him with those shrilly green eyes. He bowed his head and let out a loud hiccup. A couple of the soldiers smiled.

The man rolled his green eyes.

"Drunk, again. You there, bring me a bucket full of water!" he ordered, pointing at the last soldier in the line who went to bring it immediately, sighing. The other soldiers looked on as he handed the bucket to the masked one. Without a moment of hesitation he spilled the full bucket of cold water on the drunken soldier who shuddered while others started laughing at him.

"Silence!" masked yelled. "You better sober up before Gisborne comes. If you do anything inappropriate in front of him and he blames me, I swear I will make myself a new coat out of your skin!" They all nodded somberly. They really didn't know who was worse, Gisborne or his new cocky deputy. Masked one moved from them and sighed.

"Rampant gang," she allowed herself to mumble under breath and flexed the whip she held. She had a bad premonition that morning and she always would yell at soldiers when she was in a bad mood. After all, if she, as a woman could endure when Gisborne and Sheriff yelled at her, they could too. How they didn't notice that she is a woman, she could never guess. They just thought that she was a really talented man with an effeminate voice and physical constitution. It really pissed her off sometimes. She glanced back at the soldiers. They had moved while she wasn't watching, but when they noticed the masked looking at them, they quickly returned to their positions.

"Mort de ma vie!" she mumbled through her clenched teeth. She definitely didn't tolerate, nor did she understand, the lack of discipline. And she always felt like trash when Gisborne would scold her because they did something wrong.

"Marcus!" She quickly turned around when she heard Guy's voice. She looked at him as he left the manor and approached her. "Are they all here?" he asked, glancing at all soldiers, before he looked at her. She bowed her head slightly, feeling unpleasant like always when he stared at her with his cold blue eyes.

"Yes, all of them."

"Good," he said with a smirk. He must admit that this boy was very useful. At least he didn't have to waste his time on stuff like this. "Let's go!" he said in a very loud voice. She was the first one to obey, as usual. When she mounted her horse, she couldn't help but feel content, as always when she received even the smallest praise.

Robin and Much hurried towards the village, almost running. They were so relieved to be at home, to see their old friends, to be free of war and scenes of ignominious death. Much to their surprise, when they entered the village, they noticed that everything was quiet and almost abandoned. Just couple of men were outside, and they didn't speak a word. It looked more solemn than a funeral.

* * *

"What happened here?" Much asked. "It's usually crowded in the morning." He frowned.

Robin looked around. It indeed was weird, like a ghost town. They stood in the middle of the village, looking around.

"Something very bad happened here," Robin acknowledged.

"That something has a name, my boy." An old man approached them. "That something is our new landlord."

Robin's eyebrows lifted a fraction as he repeated, "New landlord?"

Man just nodded. "Guy of Gisborne." He spat on the ground. "He rules this land during the absence of our previous landlord." He obviously didn't recognize Robin, who forgot to tell him who he actually was. "With the help of the new Sheriff, of course. We need to pay those goddamn taxes, which are unbelievably high; we need to watch our every move. Ya know, they punish even the slightest mistake severely. They won't even organize a fair trial. We are left without food, starving like dogs."

Robin's eyes widened furiously. What kind of humans are they? He hated injustice more than anything else. He looked at the old man in rags and noticed how he is unbelievably skinny. Perhaps he hadn't eaten for days. He suddenly felt a sting of fear.

"What happened to Rebecca? Is she alright?" he asked worriedly and the man looked at him questioningly. "Rebecca of Locksley? Sister of the previous landlord?" Robin explained hastily. The man sighed. "Who knows my boy, who knows?"

Robin frowned. "What are you saying? Gisborne did something to her?" he asked, clenching his fists. "If that bastard dared to lay a single finger on her, I swear…" he howled and Much put his hand on Robin's shoulder.

The older man just shook his head. "No, Gisborne didn't hurt her, if that's what you think."

Robin sighed relieved, before the man continued, "She just disappeared one night. A couple of months after her brother went. Gisborne wasn't here yet. She presumably escaped with some lad. We spent a whole month searching for her and we didn't find anything, not a single trace. No one's heard anything about her since then. Only God knows if she is dead or alive."

Robin couldn't believe this. He shook his head. Impossible. He felt like the ground was moving beneath his feet. She couldn't vanish like that, never. He covered his face with his palms.

She was everything he had, and now she was lost, and he didn't know if she would ever be back.


	3. Faces of the past

_**Faces Of The Past**_

"That is impossible!" Robin growled at the man, like he was guilty for his sister's absence. "She is not a magician to be able to just vanish like that!"

The man kept quiet, he just looked at him with compassion.

"Master, please, calm down. I'm sure that she is okay. We will find her, don't worry. If you want, I can search for her through all of England, without rest," Much said, trying to comfort him, although his heart wasn't completely behind those words. Yes, he loved Robin like his own brother and he always thought that he was an awe-inspiring young man, but he was never too fond of his younger sister. She was always so arrogant, proud and generally unpleasant towards him, as well towards the other servants. Why she thought that she was a superior being, worthier than peasants or servants, he really didn't know.

Robin sighed. How could she have been so stupid as to abandon her home? She never was a stupid girl, maybe a bit hotheaded, but not stupid. Where could she have gone? They didn't have any cousins or family, or really close friends, or a house where she would find a shelter. 'Maybe it was my fault, after all', he thought grimly. If he had stayed, none of this would've happened. The village wouldn't be in such a disastrous state nor would Rebecca have disappeared. _'But I couldn't stay,'_ he thought, as he tried to justify himself and his acts. It was his duty to fight alongside their king. If she didn't understand, it would be only her fault. And women never understood war matters like men did.

But he couldn't blame her for everything. She was young, reckless, in desperate need for some proper company. The old housekeeper and a maid definitively weren't the right company for a young lady. She needed parental guidance and since their parents had died, he was sort a substitute for them. He knew that he could never be a decent substitute for her mother but he really tried hard. He raised his left hand and absent-mindedly mussed his light hair. When did he make a mistake? He tried to grant her every wish. Maybe that was a mistake. Maybe she wouldn't be so stubborn if he had been stricter with her. He shook his head. It was in vain to stand there and just think about everything. His mind was tired, as well as his body, but he couldn't just stand there, he needed to do something.

First of all, he needed to speak with that cocky Gisborne. He recalled how Gisborne always was an unpleasant, rude person, and Robin was completely sure that he hadn't changed much through the years. Even if he did, the change would be for the worse. Next thing he should do is to try to find his sister. He couldn't live without knowing what had happened. Dead or alive, he was going to find her. After all, the truth, even if it was grim, was better than tormenting uncertainty.

"Robin, look!" Much said and gripped his shoulder tightly and Robin was forced to look around.

His gaze fell upon the gray-haired man, whom he slowly began to recognize. He didn't pay any attention to Robin or Much. Robin frowned and his eyebrows lifted a fraction. He almost instantly recognized the man; it was Dan. He smiled slightly, glad that he finally saw a familiar face. He started walking towards him and Much hurried to follow.

* * *

"Couldn't they remain quiet and obedient for just one day? I swear that I'm sick of those filthy dogs!" Gisborne scoffed, pulling the reins rougher than it was necessary. His horse neighed in protest and immediately accelerated his pace.

"It seems that they can't," Rebecca said quietly, again imitating the voice of a man, and nudged her horse to go a little faster in order to keep up with him. She was also tired of unsatisfied villagers and their petty laments, thievery and occasional heroic attacks. They tried to kill the tax-man last year. What they would do now, she couldn't foresee. But she couldn't judge them, she was completely sure that she would do the same if she was left to starve.

"I knew that already, you shouldn't have bothered to answer, Marcus," Came Gisborne's sarcastic, poisonous reply and she frowned, narrowing her green eyes as she turned her head slightly to look at him. _'Why he can't be kind for a moment? He is always so hostile, like I just tried to kill him.'_ She thought to herself, again nudging her horse, because it refused to hasten. Her gray mare wasn't as slow as Sumpter horses were, but she was not as fast as Gisborne's ebony-colored war horse. Rebecca lowered her head, preferring to stare at the dusty road than at fuming Gisborne. She tried to push her uneasiness aside and concentrated on her mare's slow movements. She liked the sound of hooves beating against the soft dust. She closed her eyes for a moment, relaxing her tense body.

"Do you intend to fall asleep on top of that poor horse?" She heard Gisborne's half-amused, half-reproaching voice.

"No, Sir Guy," she replied shortly and as she caught that small smirk on his face she couldn't help but smile. She immediately regretted that, because the skin beneath her false mustache started itching. Every time she moved her mouth, she felt like five mosquitoes stung her upper lip at the same time. Each time it was harder to endure and she needed to control herself, or else she would just remove it and toss it to the ground. But she couldn't risk that.

They rode slowly to the center of the village and she looked around. A glimpse of sadness was briefly visible in her eyes. She looked around the village she knew since she was a child. But, it wasn't the same village. Once busy and cheerful, a colorful place, it had turned into an insupportable mass of grayness and dullness. It sent chills down her spine. It was a ghost town now_. 'And the villagers also look like ghosts, hateful and drained. The only difference is the fact that they are corporeal,'_ she thought grimly.

One skinny boy stood in the small yard, looking at the soldiers curiously. When he noticed that Rebecca is looking at him, the boy waved. She couldn't stop the smile which spread across her face and returned the wave. He was just a small child, he was interested in them and their shiny weapons, and he was too young to understand the seriousness of the situation. He wasn't filled with hate towards them, like the hearts of his parents probably were. A woman left the house and when she noticed the soldiers, she took the boy and quickly dragged him back into the house, her eyes filled with anger and fear.

Rebecca frowned and she felt how her heart clenched. As a sister of the previous landlord she was supposed to protect the villagers, not to help Gisborne and Sheriff to destroy and rob them. She shook her head slightly. This duty belonged to the past, as well as her name. She was not Rebecca of Locksley, young noblewoman, sister of a Lord anymore; she was now Marcus, a heartless but faithful deputy of Gisborne. It seemed that she sometimes forgot that, she couldn't bury all the memories and cover them with dirt; despite the fact that she was desperate to do so.

"I didn't know that you liked children, especially those dirty peasant children." Gisborne's cold, deprecatory voice made her heart sink even lower.

"No, I don't. He just reminded me of me a bit. I also used to love watching soldiers when I was his age," she replied honestly. She was obsessed with them when she was young. She would spend hours dreaming about herself dressed in a fancy armor, carrying a long sword. She smiled at her own thought. She wanted to be a knight in shiny armor, but instead she became a rogue who, honestly, was unworthy to be called a soldier. When she was a child, her father used to say that being a soldier was a noble thing to do, that their duty was to protect the law and people. She glanced behind and looked at the soldiers who frowned immediately when they noticed her look fixed on them. She smirked at them, like she challenged them to do something stupid in front of Gisborne. He would probably turn them into ashes if they did that. _'And me along with them.'_

"Hurry!" Gisborne yelled and forced his horse to gallop. She pulled the reins of her horse and followed him, without glancing to check if all the soldiers followed them. As they galloped into the center of the village, she slid off her horse fluidly, before the horse had a chance to stop. She had done it so often, it had become second-nature.

She waved her hand and all the soldiers jumped off their horses, already knowing their orders. She rushed to the entrance of one house, kicking the doors open with her boot. One of the younger soldiers followed her and helped her to drag the inhabitants out. She was deaf to their laments, as she dragged one woman outside, forcing her to stand in line along with the others. Before she turned on her heel and moved towards the next house, she glanced at Gisborne, who took a spot in the middle.

"Come here!" She turned her head, looking at the soldier who stood in front of one small cottage, calling her.

"What happened?" she asked as she marched towards him. He motioned for her to enter.

Inside the house was a young boy, whose eyes shone with fear, but it didn't prevent him from spitting spitefully at her.

Rebecca raised her hand and slapped the boy with the whip she held slightly.

"Didn't someone teach you how to behave?" she hissed.

"It seems that this boy is responsible for the thievery," the soldier said. "When I searched through the house, I found this." He bowed in order to take a bag which lay on the floor. He raised it.

Rebecca's eyebrows lifted in surprise. Such a young man and a thief already. She glanced at the boy. He still looked at them hatefully. She threw him a pitying glance, because she very well knew what the punishment for thievery was.

"They will be accounted for!" She heard Gisborne's voice coming from the outside, just confirming her thoughts.

"Where is the rest?" she asked, folding her arms.

"This is everything I found. Just two sacks."

She nodded, biting her lip.

"You are going with me!" she said, roughly grabbing the boy. He tried to disengage from her hands. She sighed. That was a problem for her. She wasn't stronger than him. Despite all the trainings she had, she still wasn't stronger. Yes, she could beat every soldier when it came to sword fighting, because she was skilled, but when she needed to use raw force, she would lose. Gisborne always laughed at her because of that. She recalled how once, during the training, he hit her in the stomach, because she didn't know how to defend herself. She couldn't properly breathe for days.

Somehow, she managed to push the boy out of the house. The soldier followed, carrying the two sacks, smiling at her effort to drag the boy. _'At least this masked idiot isn't good at everything,'_ he thought.

"I found the thief!" she exclaimed triumphantly as she released the boy. The other soldier puts the sacks on the ground. _'I found the thief, you idiot, not you,' _he thought but he didn't dare to say that out loud.

Gisborne just smirked, unable to understand why Marcus was so happy whenever he successfully performed even the simplest task like this one. "Well done!" he said in the same way someone would praise a dog who fetched something.

Rebecca felt her heart swell with pride. This was one of the reasons why she loved her new life.

"Where is the rest of the flour?"

"This is everything that was in his house," she replied, slightly flexing the whip. A thought crossed her mind. "It means that someone helped him."

Villagers looked at each other, wondering who the other thief was and what kind of punishment would ensue.

* * *

Robin placed his forehead on his palms, sighing. The world turned around completely. Dan just told him what happened to him and to his wife. Poor man. _'Why must good, innocent people fall first?' _he thought while looking at Dan, unsure what he should say, unable to find the right words which would comfort the man. The rustling of hooves snapped him out of his thoughts. He saw a bunch of soldiers and before he could think about anything they started dragging people out of their homes. He looked at the tall man, dressed in black leather. He immediately recognized him. Guy of Gisborne. The snooty bastard. He listened to his words, wondering how he can be so cruel. Robin decided to wait; he would wait for the right moment to say something.

"Oh no, poor Benedict!" He heard Dan sighing and looked at him. He pointed at one soldier who dragged the boy, obviously having some trouble doing it.

"I found the thief!" Robin heard how the soldier proudly announced it.

"That voice…" he said in a low voice. The voice of the soldier who said that was so familiar to him, but he didn't know where he heard it. But he had the feeling that he heard that voice a lot of times. It was much too soft for a male, but the owner of the voice definitively was a male, he had a mustache, and after all there were no female soldiers in England.

"Who is that man?" Robin asked Dan, pointing at the soldier.

"You mean that short one, in a brown coat, with that ridiculous helmet?"

Robin nodded.

Dan sighed. "That's Gisborne's new deputy. He used to work for the Sheriff, but Gisborne decided to take him, like he doesn't have enough thugs. Bastard," he said that, his eyes swimming with sadness, like he recalled something terrible. Robin looked at him questioningly.

"This man, Marcus, did this to me, without hesitating," he said, pointing at his arm. Robin's eyes widened. "That man would do even worse things, only if Gisborne wanted. He is one of the most loyal and appreciated soldiers. I'm completely sure that if Gisborne ordered him to jump into the well and drown himself he would just reply with 'yes, Sir' and do that without thinking about consequences."

Robin shook his head in disbelief. "Fool," he murmured.

"Who helped this runt?" Gisborne said, pointing at Benedict and Robin shifted his attention from Marcus to him.

Everybody remained silent.

Will, Dan's son was the only one that kept glaring at Gisborne defiantly, his eyes narrowed.

Rebecca noticed this, wondering if the boy was the partner in crime._ 'Such a pity, he is still a child,'_ she thought, looking how the boy took the wheat stalk out of his mouth.

"Step forward now. I may show lenience," Gisborne said, hoping that this would lure the thief to confess.

Rebecca frowned. Lenience was a word that definitely didn't exist in his that, no one took a step forward.

"No matter. The remaining perpetrators will be found. This crime will be punished," Gisborne exclaimed angrily as he took his reins.

The anger swelled in Robin's chest. He couldn't take this anymore. Injustice was something he hated from the bottom of his heart._ 'Of course the boys stole the flour. Dammit, they didn't have anything to eat!'_

"Wait!" He slowly pushed his way through the crowd, while Much looked at him with a mixture of worry and pride.

Every man, woman and child turned around to look at the one who dared to step forward, including Gisborne and Rebecca. Rebecca's eyes widened in horror when she saw the man who proudly stood in front of them. It couldn't be him. He was far away from England. He belonged to the past. This must be a dream. She blinked, like he was a mirage she could easily chase away. But no, he was real and now he stood so close to her.

_'My brother, the last person I wanted to see at this moment,'_ she thought as her head slowly filled with qualms. He was the only one that perhaps could see through her disguise, and was therefore a threat.


	4. Don't you ever dare

_**Don't You Ever Dare**_

Well, maybe it was not him. Maybe it's just a person that looks a lot like him. _'Yeah, you just keep trying to console yourself,'_ a nagging voice whispered inside Rebecca's head, and her insides contracted in fear.

She frowned and looked at Robin; her eyes were ablaze with fury. But despite her stern gaze, deep inside herself, one small part of her heart was relieved to see him healthy and alive, standing in front of her. Until now, she wasn't even sure that he was alive, as much as she knew he could be killed by the Saracens. She thought a lot about that, despite her efforts to push all that thoughts aside. Oh, how she hoped he was unharmed.

It seemed that she wasn't the only one that recognized the young man, who had that half-cocky, half-pleasant smile on his face.

Gisborne looked down at him and his eyes slightly flinched. Of all the things that could happen, this was the last one he expected. Why couldn't he just die or stay in the Holy Land? No, he simply needed to return and mess up all of his plans.

Robin glared back at him, subtly enjoying in the fact that Gisborne remained wordless.

"Guy of Gisborne?" Robin spoke, his tone slightly provoking.

Rebecca sighed heavily and Robin slightly turned around in order to look at the masked soldier. He could swear that the soldier mumbled, "Disrespect."

"Sir Guy of Gisborne to you. And bow before your master!" Gisborne replied harshly. He wouldn't allow him to treat him with contempt.

Rebecca frowned. This wouldn't end well. Knowing Robin temper, he would probably snap at those words.

Robin's mouth twitched. Gisborne acted just like he expected, but he couldn't allow himself to get provoked by his rudeness. Having nothing else to do, he bowed slightly, trying to show at least an ounce of respect.

Rebecca looked at him and wondered how he could keep his dignity, despite the fact that he was bowing.

"Sir Guy of Gisborne," he said, pronouncing 'Sir' in a mockery of obedience. "My name is Robin, Earl of Huntingdon and lord of this manor. Your services here are no longer required," Robin said, trying to sound polite yet determined.

Gisborne stared at him in quiet indignation. He knew that this would happen if Robin ever returned. Everything he achieved, thanks to his absence, he would lose now. _'Well, if Robin thought that I would surrender just like that, he was either mad or stupid. Maybe both.' _But there was nothing he could do right now.

Robin looked him straight in the eye without blinking while Much approached him, his face lightening with pride as he put a fur around Robin's shoulders. He knelt in front of his feet and a moment later all the villagers bowed.

Rebecca glared at them silently, disgusted by their behavior. He came in the right moment as their savior. She smirked slightly. It was exactly like him to appear out of nowhere, pretending to be a celestial angel.

Gisborne just looked at them all, unsure what to do; he sneered slightly and looked away, unable to acknowledge Robin's authority with words.

Everything was so silent that you would be able to hear a needle fall for a moment, and then someone slowly raised their hands and started to clap. Soon others did the same, until at last; every person was applauding violently.

Robin spun around and looked at the villagers, bowing deeply, a smile etched on his face. Those honest people didn't deserve to be tortured and he would personally take care of them and let this never happen again.

It was then that Rebecca seemed to snap out of her shock. She approached Gisborne.

"Sir Guy," she whispered anxiously and touched the reins of his horse softly. "You have to do something."

"Is that so, Marcus?" Gisborne said coldly. "I thought that even a mind that is as simple as yours would be capable to understand that it would not be prudent," he added sarcastically and Rebecca twitched at the offense.

_'That's what I get for wanting him to stop this humiliation. After all, they humiliate him, not me. I shouldn't care,'_ she mused angrily. Despite all those years she spent with him, she still didn't get used to his poisonous comments and offenses. She very well knew his character, yet his comments always seemed to sting her heart. She couldn't explain why.

Robin shifted his attention back at Gisborne. "I would be grateful if you and your soldiers move out of my manor as soon as you can," he said, his eyes twinkling.

Rebecca glared at him, her eyes swimming with unveiled anger. In other words, he threw them out. How dare he? She was the owner of the manor, just like him. Then she recalled that when she changed her identity, she also rejected her property. 'Robin did it also when he abandoned everything and run away with the king, just like the puppy which follows his master,' she thought. In spite of the fact that she decided not to interfere she couldn't hold herself back anymore.

"I beg your pardon, esteemed Lord of Locksley, but I think that you should get off your high horse," she spoke in a loud voice, desperately trying to sound manlier.

Gisborne smirked. _'Marcus dared to speak up. It seems that today is the day for miracles.'_ Robin looked at the soldier who spoke and frowned. He couldn't see his face, not at all. There was something strange yet familiar about him. Surely he saw him before, but his name was unknown to him.

He smiled lightly and spread his arms looking around. "Horse? As much as I know, I'm not on a horse." The villagers began applauding again.

"Show him where is his place, sonny," Dan murmured.

"Enough!" Rebecca roared. The applause immediately stopped. She took four long strides towards him and looked at his eyes.

Robin's face fell down as he glared into his eyes. They were jade-colored, almond-shaped, and somehow cat-like. _'He has the same eyes like my sister has. Not only color, but shape also, even a manner of looking,'_ Robin thought for a moment. _'But this man can't be my sister; it's ridiculous of me to think about something like that.'_ He concluded that since his mind is occupied with thoughts about his missing sister, it sees something hers in every human. Maybe it was a longing to see her again.

"You say that you this is your estate, that you are Lord of Locksley. You care about these people," Rebecca continued speaking. She longed to tell him this. "Is it true?"

"Of course it is."

"Then why did you abandon them, why did you leave everything that is yours?"

Robin frowned slightly. "I think that you don't have the right to question my acts nor it's my duty to justify myself in front of an unknown man."

"Yes, you don't have the right to question my master!" Much butt in. It angered him when he saw that somehow disrespected Robin.

Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Shut up, you mutt."

Much frowned. "Hey, you…" he exclaimed, but Robin raised his hand in order to silence him. Much frowned even more. He hated being called like that.

Rebecca bit her lip slightly; she had the habit of calling him mutt. Mutt, bring me my horse; mutt, don't steal the food from the kitchen; mutt, don't sit in the armchair, you will taint it. She should watch her mouth, or else she will say something that will maybe unmask her.

"Don't speak like that with my friend, please," Robin said politely.

Gisborne relaxed in his saddle and smirked._ 'This will turn out to be quite an interesting show.' _If he couldn't spit in his face in front of the entire village, maybe Marcus could.

"Can you see this?" Rebecca spoke to the villagers, ignoring Robin completely. "This man, the man you applaud to, left you all here, at Sheriff's mercy. You lament on the law and the taxes, you starved. Where was your Lord then? Where? He was in the Holy land, licking King's Richard boots. When you needed him the most, he abandoned you. And you accepted him with your arms widely open. What he did for you?" she shouted.

"And what the new government did for us?" someone in the middle of the crowd shouted.

People turned around to see who had called, but when they couldn't find the one responsible, some began to murmur among themselves, and others turned back towards Marcus, to see what he would answer. Rebecca cleared her sore throat uneasily, trying to think of an answer, but before she had time to, the answer came from another direction.

"Nothing, they did nothing for you. They treated you like you were filthy dogs, took everything you had, left you without food, water and money. If you kill King's deer, you stay without a hand, if you steal food, without a finger. What kind of corrupted government is that?" Robin said.

Most people nodded in understanding, some smiled encouragingly at Robin, and a few, including Much, even applauded.

Rebecca remained quiet, looking at him angrily.

Robin spun around and looked at Gisborne. He glared back at him, sneering amusedly.

"Nice speech, My Lord," he said mockingly. "Do you have anything else to say, because I'm in a rush, I have a crime to punish." Gisborne wiggled his fingers.

"How could you treat those people like that? Do you enjoy torturing them?" Robin snapped. He knew that like a Lord, he could free his villagers and prevent the punishment. "I can't believe that you are still acting like an arrogant bastard." Robin immediately regretted his words. He isn't supposed to act like that, but after all he heard today, he couldn't control his words anymore.

Gisborne sneered. _'Enjoy in your words. You won't insult me for long.'_

Rebecca looked at Robin in stunned wonder and a wave of anger washed over her. He dared to insult a man, who was her company during all this time, who was there when Robin should have been, the man who gave her life she always wanted to have. Yes, he treated her like a dog, he treated everyone like that, but she couldn't stand the fact that someone said something bad about him. Even if it was true.

In one fluent motion, she pulled her sword out of its sheath on her left side. From the corner of his eye, Much spotted what the masked soldier did. "Master, look out!" He shouted. Robin turned around in time to see what the man did.

The sword swung through the air. Luckily, Robin managed to grab his sword in the last moment.

The next moment, with a loud clatter, two swords clashed with such a force that it made them both unstable. A violent gasp went through the crowd as people realized what happened, and then the murmurs began. "What's the matter with you?" Robin asked, surprised, their swords still joined.

"Don't you ever, ever dare to insult Sir Guy of Gisborne in front of me!" Rebecca said sternly, threateningly, trying to push Robin's sword away. Everyone around them remained quiet, watching them in surprise.


	5. It will get harder

_**It Will Get Harder**_

Robin looked at him, still surprised, yet his hand firmly held the sword. He was shocked at the strange man's behavior. He couldn't understand why he attacked him. How did he dare to do something like that in front of the whole village? Maybe he was a lunatic, or worse, a fanatic.

Rebecca still determinately tried to push Robin's sword away. Fury was blazing in her green eyes and her mouth twitched, causing her false mustache to move in a strange way. She wasn't going to put down her sword and allow Robin to win that argument for sure.

The villagers looked at them, their eyes wide. They wondered who would be the winner. All of them were hoping that Robin will teach that guy a good lesson. No one liked the masked soldier, nor did they like any of his acts.

Much looked at them and bit his lip anxiously. Couple of wrinkles appeared in the middle of his forehead. This wasn't going to turn out good. They just arrived in the village and they were already facing problems.

Gisborne still couldn't believe that something like that happened. Marcus, the guy that was always obedient, always quiet, no matter what he said to him did something like that. He opposed to Robin without even thinking that this will certainly bring him problems. He clearly said that this was because Robin insulted him. That actually fed his ego, but he couldn't believe that Marcus did that just because of that insult. There was something more behind that, some hidden reason, he was sure. Maybe they knew each other.

This time, instead of just blocking his assault, Robin tried to push away the sword. Rebecca swayed slightly, she didn't have enough strength to counter Robin's force, but she still stood in her place, stubbornly holding the sword.

"What do you want, crazy man?" Robin asked, still looking in the blazing eyes of his opponent.

"I want to teach you how to behave," Rebecca hissed angrily. She looked in her brother's soft blue eyes. She could see only determination and stubbornness in them.

Gisborne frowned. As much as it would be nice that Marcus kills Robin it would bring him the problems. He didn't care about the fact that Marcus would end up at the gallows pole. He was worried about the fact that he, like the superior of that soldier, would be considered guilty also.

"Marcus!" he yelled. "Stop with that!"

Villagers looked at Gisborne in disbelief. Why would he prevent Marcus to harm Robin?

Rebecca flinched at his words, uncertain what to do. Gisborne ordered her to stop with that. She didn't want to disobey him, she never did before. His will was something sacred to her. On the other side she was so furious at Robin since he said something he shouldn't have. Like it wasn't enough that she abandoned her he decided to insult the man she cared the most about in front of the entire village. She tried to push the sword forward. She ignored Gisborne's words for the first time in her life.

"Marcus, what are you doing? I order you to stop!"

Rebecca flinched again, this time ever stronger. The icy coldness in his voice was enough for her to realize that he is extremely angry at her. Her grasp weakened while her loyalty battled against the fury in her heart. Robin used the opportunity to push his sword forwards, almost pushing the sword out of Rebecca's hands.

His move brought her back to her senses. She forgot the previous Gisborne's words and lunged forwards. Her sudden move caught Robin unprepared and he swayed slightly.

She quickly used the moment of his weakness and moved her sword away from his, freeing it. Before he could regain his composure she lunged at him, blinded by rage, one of her greatest weaknesses. Swiftly, thanks to the years of fighting in the Holy Land, Robin evaded her strike. She almost fell, unable to stop herself.

'_That man doesn't know one thing. The rage has never been useful during the fight.'_ That thought crossed his mind as he raised his sword, preparing to attack. _'If that guy wants a fight, he will get it,'_ he thought, not even excited about this. He was sick of fighting and of people that initiated fights. He just wanted it to end, so he can live in peace like a normal man.

This time Rebecca was the one with quicker reflex. She spun around, just like he did a couple of minutes ago and her sword clashed with his. Another sharp sound of clashing metal echoed through the center of the village that was engulfed in silence.

Gisborne looked at them; every millimeter of his face was expressing anger. Words were useless in this kind of situation. They couldn't calm down two hot heads. He knew that very well. He jumped off his horse, angrily releasing the reins from his hands and strode towards the two persons that were so engaged in a battle that they failed to notice his tall figure approaching.

"I told you to stop with that now!" he yelled again, his words weren't enough to express his anger.

Both of them stopped, startled by his voice. Rebecca turned her head in the direction of the voice. Her eyes met Gisborne's. He was staring at her angrily and she turned her head away, ashamed of her behavior.

In the blink of an eye he grabbed her hand roughly and pulled her away. The sword fell from her hand and hit the dust with an almost noiseless thud. Robin's eyes raised in surprise as Gisborne dragged the masked soldier away from him.

Rebecca lowered her head, unable to look into his eyes. The guilt washed over her and she bit her lips, breaking the soft skin. How could she have been so dumb? Attacking Robin in front of the entire village and disobeying Gisborne's orders weren't the smartest thing she did in her life, she admitted.

Gisborne kept glaring at her, as well as the rest of the village. He was so angry at his deputy that he would have slapped her if she didn't have that bloody helmet. It was in vain, he would just end up hurting his hand, he realized.

"What the hell were you thinking about when you attacked him?" he asked; his voice was low, yet threatening enough to make her shudder. He didn't care that entire village looked at them like they were performing a circus act.

"I…. wasn't," she mumbled quietly.

"You weren't thinking, right? It's obvious you didn't! Your head is empty. If I opened it, I would certainly not find a brain inside it!" he yelled and his voice became louder with every spoken word.

He then turned around to face Robin who looked at them with an amused smile on his face.

"I think that you should go to your home, Lord of Locksley. I thought that you wanted to do that? I and my soldiers will pick up our stuff later after I deal with the disobedient one," he said in a low voice, still unwilling to accept the fact that Robin is throwing him out of _his_ home. He had enough humiliations for the day and he didn't want Robin to watch him yelling at his soldier. After all, this wasn't his business.

Robin nodded slightly. He didn't want to obey to Guy's orders but he perfectly understood the situation and he had enough politeness to know that this wasn't really his business.

"Let's go Much," he said and began walking away. He longed to see his home and he really was tired of everything.

Gisborne turned back to Rebecca. Her head was still bowed, like in a prayer.

"Can you give me at least one reason why you did that?" he asked and folded his arms across his chest.

Much followed Robin. He threw a glance at the soldier which was almost bowed and mumbled, "You deserved it. Mutt." He shook his hand still angry because of the word she used. The villagers also rushed to move away, they didn't want to remain here while the fuming Gisborne was present.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled and dared to raise her head slightly. "Just… he insulted you and I got furious." She decided to be as much honest as she could be, without giving away her secret.

"I'm sorry. He insulted you," Gisborne imitated her voice in a rude way before he spat in front of her. "Are you a retard? Do you know that you could have put both of us in a quite huge mess? Everyone would think that I ordered you to attack him. You could do whatever you want with yourself, I don't care, but you don't have the right to gamble with my life. You of all people," he said and looked at her, disappointed. "You can't trust anyone nowadays," he added.

Rebecca turned her head away and blinked. One tear was threatening to spill across her face. His words hurt her like he stabbed her with a dagger. Even more than that.

"I wasn't thinking about that, I apologize, Sir Guy," she said, bowing. "You know you can trust me," she added.

"Of course I can trust you. No one is more trustworthy than a brainless person," he said sarcastically.

The tears began glistening in her eyes. She lowered her head again and blinked violently. She couldn't allow him to see her crying. He would definitely laugh at her. _'For God's sake, I mustn't cry. Not now, please,' _she mused.

"Get lost before you manage to anger me even more. We will discuss about your punishment later," he said, wondering why Marcus is trembling. Was he so afraid of him? "Go to Nottingham and inform the Sheriff that Robin of Locksley has returned and that we are going to live in his castle for a while," he ordered before he turned around and left. He snorted; he wouldn't miss the opportunity to tease Robin.

Rebecca sighed and wiped the tears away from her eyes. Her world started to spin around. _'What will I do now? How will I hide my secret away from Robin? This situation is hard enough, but I know that it will get harder. On top of all, Gisborne is bloody mad at me. Mort de ma vie!'_ she thought, marching towards her mare.

She decided what she will do. She will inform the Sheriff immediately because she didn't want to disobey another Gisborne's order. After that she will go to the only person that knew her secret and kept it safe, despite the disapproving. The only person that knew that Rebecca of Locksley was still alive.

* * *

**A/N:** I updated the story, finally. I had so many chores, both on FanFiction and in real life. I usually get all of my chores done, because I can't stand to sit and do nothing but the inspiration for this story somehow vanished. It seems that it has returned now, luckily. I just hope it won't get lost again.

Luckily there is no school now so at least I don't need to think about that. I have a lot of other things to do since I have some out-of-school classes and I have to hang out with my friends, prepare for my trip to Egypt etc.

Usually I'm at home just four hours a day, so I can write just three hours per day. I can't write longer even if I spend more time at home. It's enough for me to update, since I write fast when I have inspiration. I promise that I will update at least once in a week or two from now on. Sorry for my blabbering, hope I didn't bore you.

Thank you for all reviews, favs and follows! You don't know how that makes me happy and encourages me to write further. I'm always eager to know your opinion, so feel free to tell me what you like and what you dislike. It will surely help me improve. I also want to say thanks to KaicherAlfstan for correcting my mistakes!


	6. Denial

_**Denial**_

The sharp sound of a loud laughter, or more precisely said, loud cackling stung Rebecca's head like a sharpened knife. Raising her eyebrows heavenwards, she shot an irritated look towards the man, deep inside her mind grateful because he didn't notice it. Getting in another trouble wasn't the thing she needed the most right now.

"I swear that you will kill me one day Marcus. The cause of death will be laughter, of course," the Sheriff sighed and straightened himself, rubbing at one eye as he stared out of the window. "Remind me not to let you speak again." He grinned at Rebecca briefly.

"It's not my intention, my lord, trust me," she muttered dryly, anxiously waiting for this conversation to end.

"Of course it's not," he smiled, shifting in his chair, obviously in a good mood. "You actually consider this a serious problem, right?"

"As a matter of fact, I do, my lord," Rebecca cringed and swallowed as the Sheriff burst into another fit of laughter when she finished the sentence.

"You can't be serious Marcus. What happened with your mind? You think that the little stray sheep which just returned home can be a treat for us?" he asked, his voice cracking.

Rebecca felt infuriated by his words and arrogance and she was doing her best to remain calm, constantly reminding herself that he is her superior and that if she would dare to say a wrong word she would remain headless, in the best case tongueless.

"He could be, I mean he already threw Sir Guy out of his home," she muttered, her eyes fixated upon the Sheriff's face.

"Why didn't you do anything to prevent that?" He smirked, narrowing his eyes.

"I did but it didn't turn out well," she confessed, lowering her head. She didn't want to be reminded of her shameful behavior. Luckily for her, the Sherriff wasn't interested in listening to her story.

"I must say that this is a big disappointment Marcus. You, failing to do something?" Rebecca's heart plummeted at those words. Shaking with his head, he said, "You are free to go now. I will be sure to discuss with Gisborne about this little… incident later." He wiggled his fingers.

"Thank you, my lord," she murmured, taking a few steps back before she bowed curtly.

"And don't make such a noise with those bloody boots of yours, you're scaring my birds," he added as she headed towards the exit.

As the heavy oak doors slammed shut behind her she cursed inwardly, "Stupid old donkey."

* * *

Robin's blue eyes locked with Gisborne's lighter ones as the two men stood near to each other, each one waiting for the other to make a stupid move first. Both of them knew that another argument wouldn't make them good and it seemed that at least this encounter will pass without any incidents.

Robin was infuriated by his still arrogant attitude and the fact that he behaved so calmly after all the pain he inflicted upon those poor people and Gisborne was infuriated by the fact that Robin came to claim what is his. Both of them were powerless now, they could only irritate each other with poisonous words.

Deciding that it would be best to make Gisborne go away before he manages to infuriate him even more, Robin briefly said, "Goodbye."

Casting a look at Robin before he stepped outside, he replied in the same way, "Goodbye."

At that moment Robin realized that he forgot to tell him something important. "One thing," he exclaimed, stepping forwards and facing Gisborne who stopped immediately, his eyes expressionless.

"I shall celebrate my safe return, too, by pardoning any and all wrongdoers from my estates awaiting trial or punishment," he exclaimed, determined to let Gisborne know that he will do everything to put an end to this injustice.

Gisborne shot him an angered look but his voice remained completely calm as he replied, trailing his words, "Only the Sheriff can pardon, you know that."

"It is custom for the Sheriff to accede to his nobles' requests on such matters," Robin said stubbornly, defying his statement.

"Well, then I suggest you take it up with the Sheriff," Gisborne said impatiently, turning his back to Robin, determined to leave. He had enough of this childish nonsense.

Robin continued glaring after him, disbelief filling up his mind. How can people be so cruel, senseless like a piece of stone? Rubbing at his head, Robin decided that he has more important things than Gisborne that should occupy his mind. After all, Gisborne is not a landlord anymore so he would lose the influence he had over the villagers until now.

As he spun around he faced Thornton whose eyes examined him worriedly.

"I don't understand," Robin lowered his light head. "How didn't you notice anything?"

Thornton grimaced lightly; he understood about what Robin spoke. "It's just… simply… there was nothing I could have noticed," he stammered and Robin shot him a surprised look, lifting up his eyebrows.

"How?" he inquired, grimacing.

"Because she behaved like she usually did, and we didn't notice anything weird about her. She didn't mention anything about leaving the manor, not a single word. After you left, the young lady locked herself up in her room and refused to open up the doors, crying her eyes out. It lasted for two days only, after that she behaved like nothing happened. She did make us some problems, leaving the home alone, despite you told us that she is not allowed to do that but she did that always, even when you were here Master Robin, so we didn't suspect anything. One morning when Hannah went to the young lady's bedroom to bring her the breakfast she… she simply wasn't there," Thornton explained. "I'm sorry, Master Robin, we should have taken better care of her," he added softly.

Robin felt a lump form in his throat. "No, don't apologize, it wasn't your fault, you couldn't have guessed that she would do something so reckless." It was useless to blame anyone, this wasn't a remedy for anything, it would just make them all feel worse.

"Did she leave a note or some kind of a clue, did she take something, her clothes, the money, anything?" he asked, waving his hands in frustration.

Hannah shook her head, "Young mistress didn't leave a note, she took just a small amount of money and she left all of her clothes in the wardrobe, I checked that."

Robin sighed, rolling his eyes. "Beside money she also took something else…" Hannah trailed, lowering her gaze, observing her shoes.

"What?" he asked in a low voice.

"She took your father's sword and after a couple of days we noticed that some daggers are missing too," Thornton said, frowning.

"Dear God!" Robin exclaimed, burying his face into his palms. "What was she thinking about? A sword, for god's sake, what did she want to do with it? Wasn't she thinking about the dangers she could fall into?" he snarled, more to himself, lightly slamming his fist against the table.

"For more than a month the whole village tried to find her but we didn't have any clues. We combed through the neighboring villages, through the forest, even through Nottingham, we searched everywhere but we didn't manage to find anything."

Robin sighed again, his eyes clenched shut. He didn't know whether to worry because they didn't find anything or to rejoice because they didn't find her cadaver. He shook his head frantically._ 'What am I thinking about? Rebecca is not dead, I know it. If she was I would have felt it, I'm sure,'_ he tried to comfort himself but he couldn't be sure, his mind kept warning him that the heart's speech is not always true. Keeping his eyes shut he desperately tried to deny the fact that she was gone, to deny everything. He prayed for a blissful oblivion, wanting it badly, at least for a moment.

* * *

Rebecca rode through the gate, mare's hooves made a loud noise when they came in contact with the cobblestone path which contrasted sharply against the emerald grass dotted with the withered daisies. Her bottle green eyes quickly scanned the surroundings before she forced her mare to get away from the main path. She circled around the building, deciding to leave her gray mare behind the manor. The mare neighed in appreciation as she felt the burden of her rider abandoning her back.

Rebecca fixated her eyes upon one of the windows, squaring her lithe shoulders. She squinted; the warm afternoon sun disturbed her eyesight. Bowing to the ground, she picked a small, circle-shaped stone and threw it in the air. It successfully collided with the window frame, making a dull sound. Tilting her head to the side she waited for someone to open the window. As she bowed to pick another pebble and try again, the window cracked open. Her heart almost jumped with joy as she saw a slim, milky white hand and the outline of the person behind the window and the lacy curtain.

"You?" the female voice that greeted her was laced with surprise. "What are you doing here in the middle of the day?"

"Quit the talk, I need to come in," Rebecca said in a low, normal voice.

"I can't," the female whispered in protest. "My father is down in the living room, he will see you."

Rebecca straightened herself, slightly winded. "Please, it's important, you need to hear what happened," she insisted, her words resembling an order to some extent.

The person moved away from the window but she didn't let Rebecca wait for long. She opened the window completely and Rebecca frowned when she saw an improvised rope made of sheets tied together lowering down.

"I will break my neck while trying to climb like a cat someday," she gritted her teeth as she clenched her hands around the material tightly, leaning her foot against the wall. She was able to haul herself up in less than five minutes and started climbing through the window.

The same moment she set her foot into the room her left hand reached out to remove the nasty mustache. She rubbed the skin beneath her nose in relief before she removed the helmet and placed it on the table, letting her long, straw-like braid fall down her back. At last, she glanced at the female, feeling the sea-blue orbs gazing at her questioningly. "I'm listening. What was so important that you couldn't wait until the nightfall?" the female spoke in soft, yet lightly nervous voice.

Ignoring her nervous tone, Rebecca slumped down into the bed, feeling feather-light after she got rid of her mask.

The female rolled her eyes inwardly and sighed. "Why are you quiet now? Judging by the tone of your voice I concluded that you have a problem."

Rebecca froze as she heard the word 'problem', her heart skipping a beat. She raised a light eyebrow, straightening herself up while a frown formed upon her face.

"Oh yes, the problem," she stuttered. "You wouldn't believe what happened."

"I think that you should try speaking about it first, then you will see will I believe or not," the voice of her companion was filled with determination.

Rebecca tried to smile at her words but failed badly. "He is back," she exclaimed dully.

"Who is back?" the brown-haired female asked, clearly curious.

"My brother!" Rebecca's voice rose, her eyes flashing. Her companion was clearly surprised, shaking her head like in denial.

"Robin is back?" she repeated, her hands reached out to cover her mouth. "But that's impossible!" she stated, almost sure in her words.

"That's what I thought," Rebecca said grimly, her hands clasped in her lap. The female continued glaring at Rebecca, before her lips curved into a soft smile.

"But… but that's great!" she exclaimed and Rebecca sighed in irritation. "I mean, you won't have to continue with that stupid masquerade of yours anymore, you can return back to your old life. Why didn't you tell him already, I'm sure he…"

"No, Marian," Rebecca cut her off, widening her eyes. "You know that I can't do that, I can't and I won't," she stated stubbornly and Marian sighed.

"Don't be silly, you know that your image of a soldier can't last for long. You have the opportunity to make things right."

"My cover wasn't blown away for three years already and I won't allow it to happen now!" she retorted. "Even if I wanted to return, I couldn't. It's not so easy like you think. Besides that, I don't have a wish to be with my brother. I don't even want to see him anymore," she spat and snarled.

Marian gasped. "You can't be serious. For how long will you hold your childish grudge?"

"Childish grudge!? Rebecca exploded, standing up. "If you really think that he deserves forgiveness then_ you_ go ahead and forgive him, I won't deter you," she said poisonously.

"That's a completely different situation," Marian murmured and suddenly her determination was replaced by insecurity. "I don't have to forgive him, he means nothing to me, he was just my childhood crush. You are the one related to him; he is your brother," she said and looked away, her eyes dark.

"No, that just makes the things worse. What happened between the two of you was just a stupid crush, maybe it wouldn't last even if he stayed here," Marian shot her a livid look which Rebecca obviously didn't notice, "I'm his sister and he didn't have the right to abandon me after our parents died," Rebecca shook her head, before slowly taking a seat on an armchair. This situation was more than she could handle. She deeply believed in her words, he didn't deserve her forgiveness, yet the smallest piece of her heart agreed with Marian; at one moment she had an urge to fling herself into his arms like she used to do when she was a child. Sadly, the rage that infested her heart was way stronger than the longing she felt. Marian looked at her softly, unsure what to say; her heart wasn't entirely rid of rage either.

"Like all of this wasn't enough I attacked him and Gisborne got so angry at me, I swear that he wanted to kill me at that moment," she almost sobbed. "It looks to me like Robin came back just to destroy my life."

Marian sighed and rolled her eyes. Really, this girl should have learned to subdue her temper by now, she wasn't any better than Robin was. "Why did you have to do that?"

"Because he was behaving like a bastard," she explained, pouting like a scolded child. "He threw us all out and on top of all, he insulted Gisborne. Called him a bastard," she said, anger seeping through her voice. Marian couldn't help but smile at those words; it seemed like Robin hadn't changed much through the years.

"Well, he did have the right to throw you out, after all that land is his property and not Gisborne's and you, like one of the soldiers, got thrown out also, that's logical," Marian tried to reason with her despite she knew that Rebecca wouldn't accept that. "Also, you can't deny that Gisborne is a bastard," she added in a lower voice.

"He is not!" Rebecca growled, her anger getting the better of her.

"Hush, my father is going to hear you," Marian warned her, widening her eyes. "I don't know why you are so stubbornly justifying the man who treats you like you are a dog," she said inwardly.

Rebecca made a sour expression. "This doesn't mean that he is a bastard, he just has a troublesome nature, that's why he acts like that, but he never acted like a bastard in front of you, he treats you nicely," Rebecca murmured sadly, pulling her unevenly trimmed hair.

"I don't need his 'nice' behavior," Marian scoffed and Rebecca threw her a strange look. She couldn't understand why Marian couldn't stand Gisborne as much as she tried to. He hadn't ordered her around, yelled at her, offended her and yet she behaved like he did all of that and maybe even something worse. As she felt her blue eyes fixed upon her face, Rebecca felt a slight sting of envy. Marian was so beautiful, she had the eyes of an angel and the attitude of a real lady, that's why Gisborne liked her. Even if Rebecca wasn't in a disguise she doubted that Gisborne would ever like her. She wasn't ugly but she wasn't beautiful like Marian was and she didn't have that tenderness and purity like Marian had; she was rude, senseless and tomboyish.

Rebecca shook her head fervently. _'What am I thinking about? What has got into me?'_ she mused, wiping at her eyes with her sleeves, trying to compose herself. Marian continued looking at her.

"Why do you keep putting up with his behavior?" that question slipped off her lips.

Rebecca shrugged. "I don't know. He is everything I have, the only company beside you. I spent so much time with him and I got used to him and his behavior. When I lost Robin, he was the one that was there to fill that emptiness; despite he never treated me nicely. I guess that's when I began to consider him to be my savior," she replied honestly, it was hard for her to form the words.

Marian looked at her like someone hit her in the head. "Savior? You're deluded," she stated coldly. "You don't understand into what kind of a mess you put yourself with his help."

Rebecca shot her a mournful look but Marian ignored it. "At first it was just your silly dream, longing to be a soldier, to be something you weren't born to be and look at yourself now. Gisborne has made a murderer of you, he transformed you into a heartless pawn that only breathes in order to do his bidding," she said sharply as she sat in the armchair beside her. Rebecca just pressed her face into her palms, she knew about what Marian spoke. _'This was just a cost that needed to be paid, something I needed to do, it was necessary,'_ she tried to comfort herself, trying to forget everything. "Stop with it," she murmured weakly.

"No, I won't," Marian said in a deadpan voice. "I won't because it hurts me to see what you have become. Do you remember the poor villager whose hand you cut off? Do you remember the young boy you have run through with your sword just because Gisborne ordered it? Do you remember the two innocent children you left in the forest to be eaten by wild animals just to help Gisborne hide the fact that those children were his and preserve his image of a decent nobleman?" she continued speaking, abhorrence ringing in every syllable.

"Stop it, for God's sake, stop it!" Rebecca almost wailed, hyperventilating. "Of course I remember, I don't need a reminder. Like I could ever forget something like that," she drew in a long, deep breath. She just wanted to bury her head under the dirt and deny everything that ever happened.

"I don't know why I'm still guarding your secret," Marian said honestly. She pitied the person that was sitting across her, absorbed in her own twisted world, left to wallow in her rage.

"Maybe because I know your secret," Rebecca said, baring her teeth.

Marian swallowed. That was another, even bigger reason. Marian's secret was Rebecca's trump card in case Marian would want to reveal her secret; she was cunning enough and used this information like a shield. They kept glaring at each other; a pair of soft blue eyes contrary to shrilly green ones until the loud voice startled them, making them both jump in their seats.

"Get out! Get away from here!" Someone bellowed and Marian's eyes widened in fear. "That's my father!" she exclaimed, her eyes widened in fear and Rebecca stood up, her hand reached out to grab the hilt of her sword. "No," Marian said firmly, placing her hand on top of Rebecca's. "I'm going to see what is happening," she removed a longbow attached to the wall and stormed out of the room, the end of her gown trailing behind her as Rebecca hastily put on her helmet and mustache. After she put up her disguise she approached the window, her hand gripping the latch. Down, in the courtyard stood none other than Robin.

"Mort de ma vie!" she cursed, slamming her hand against the window frame.

* * *

**A/N:** Yes! I managed to update, finally, and a decent-length chapter this time. I enjoyed writing this one; took me less than two hours to finish it. I do hope it's good. Heh, I can't wait to spice the things up, I think that it's going to be much more 'complicated' from now on. Review if you want, so that I can continue my evil-plotting. Thank you for all the previous reviews!


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